This is a cheese that YOU can make RIGHT NOW

The first hard cheese to come out of my brand-spanking-new cheese press?

Soooo... I decided to switch to soft cheeses for a bit. 

Paneer is a fresh cheese from India that is used in all sorts of different dishes. It is often cut up into cubes and served in simmer sauces over rice or with naan. It generally takes its flavor from the sauce, but as you will see when you make this in the very near future because its just so damn easy that you can't resist, good paneer makes a difference in a dish.

So, you want to make Paneer? Boil some milk, throw in some lemon juice, and drain the curds. Yep, that's it. Okay, okay... Bring a half gallon of milk to a gentle rolling boil while stirring frequently so the milk doesn't scorch. Drizzle in a quarter cup of lemon juice and stir on low heat until large curds form. It should look like this... with good solid curds and a watery whey:

If the whey (liquid) is still milky after a bit, try some more lemon juice or heat. Ladle the curds into a colander lined with Muslin* and hang in the cheesecloth for 2-3 hours. The resulting curds should be rinsed (I have seen directions to rinse them for another 2-3 hours, but I didn't do that). Now you have Paneer! If you're lazy like me, you can buy a jar of simmer sauce from Meijer and throw it right in! 

Cheese!

*Muslin is NOT the hobby cheesecloth you buy at the store. That's not even cheesecloth, it will NOT stand up to hard use. Muslin is a fine, sturdy cheesecloth. Here is how the threads should look:

I have used thin cloth napkins before that have worked well (this takes a little more time), or, if you're really in a pinch, several layers of hobby cheesecloth might work too.